Railway-skate.



.|. NAVARA.

RAILWAY SKATE.

APPLICATION FILED AIIIG.8.'I9I7.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

y 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. NAVARA.

RAILWAY SKATE.

APPLICATION FILED Auw, |911.

LQSUASL Pa d Mar. 26, 1918.

SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JOHN NAVARA, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY-SKATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 191%.

Application filed August S, 1917. Serial No. 185,021.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN NAVARA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway- Skates, tion.

My invention relates to railway skates, that is to devices adapted for emergency use upon the rail of a railway track for engagement by the wheels of a free running railway car to effect stopping of the car.

In using a device of this character, the same is arranged on the track rail ahead of the car to be stopped, and as the car approaches the device the front wheel of one side of the car will ride up onto the skate, the latter sliding upon the rail and through frictional engagement therewith gradually bringing the car to a stop. In order to hold the skate onto the rail, guides are necessary which engage with opposite sides of the ball of the rail. In skates in use at the present time these guides are stationary and when a skate is carried past a frog or the like where a groove is provided only at the inner side of the rail for the accommodation of the ange of the car wheel, the stationary guide at the outer side of the rail meets an obstruction, and is either broken off or causes breakage of some other part of the device.

, It is the object of this invention to provide a skate in which movable guides are provided and wherein the guide engaging with the outer side of the rail will be automatically elevated to a position out of engagement with the rail or above the upper surface thereof upon engagement of the skate by a car wheel, thus obviating the objection to the use of stationary guides asabove pointed out. A further object is the production ofa device as mentioned which will be of durable and economical construction, and efficient in use. Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a railway skate embodying the invention,

Fig. 2,a side elevation thereof,

of which the following is a specifica- K l guide members 13 is a Fig. 3, an end elevation as seen from the front end,

Fig. L1, an end elevation of the device as seen from the rear end,

Fig. 5, a sectional view illustrating the movement of the guides when the device is engaged by a car wheel, and

F ig. 6, a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the means for automatically ele vating the guide members.

The preferred form of construction as illustrated in the drawings, comprises an elongated body 10 the underside of which is flat and adapted for engagement with a conventional rail A. The upper side of the body 10 is gradually inclined upwardly from one end, the arrangement being such that a car wheel traveling toward the front end of the device, will ride up onto the body 10, so that the weight of the load will be borne upon the body 10 which in turn will be caused to slide along the rail as will be readily understood.

Formed upon said body 10 at the lower edge thereof are laterally projecting flanges 1l in which are formed slots 12 which are slidably engaged by vertically movable guide members on flanges 13 which are adapted to project below the device for en gagement with opposite sides of the ball of the rail in order to hold the device in position thereon, as will be readily understood. The guide members 13 are locked to the member l0 by means of a transversely extending pin 14 which passes through elongated slots 15 provided in said guide members which permit of the desired vertical movement of the same.

The guide members at opposite sides of the body 10 are operatively connected by means of a sort of yoke or lever 16 which is rockingly mounted midway its ends upon a supporting bar or rod 17 having its ends suit* ably mounted in body 10. The respective ends of the member 16 engage with notches 18 formed in the guide members 13, the arrangement being such that when one of said guide members is depressed, the other will be elevated, as clearly seen in Fig. 5.

Formed at the upper edge of each of the laterally projecting flange 19 adapted for engagement by the flange B of a car wheel C, as clearly seen in Fig. 5, so that the iiange of a car wheel resting upon the body 10 will engage with and depress one of the flanges 19 and hence the corresponding member 13 with the eli'ect of simultaneously effecting eleiration of the guide member' 13 at the opposite side of the device. At the rearward side of the device is provided an angularly and laterally projecting member 20 adapted for engagement by the wheel of a car coming from the other direction to effect derailment of the device. that is throwing of the same from the rail to one side where the saine will offer no obstruction to the car and be itself uninjured. llVith a construction as set forth then, it will be seen that in using the device, is only necessary for the same to be placed upon one of the rails of the track in front of the car which it is desired to stop. `When the device is thus placed both of the guide members 13, which normally project below the body 10, as seen in Figs. 3 and l, will engage with the opposite sides of the ball of the rail and serve to properly center the device upon the rail. As the ear approaches, the front wheel at one-side of the same will ride up onto the body 10 of the device causing sliding of the latter along` the rail, the frictional contact of said body with the rail gradually bringing the car to a stop. ln this engagement of the car wheel with the device, the flange of the car wheel will effect depression of the guide member at the inq ner side of the rail, and consequently elevation of the guide member at the outer side of the rail, so that in the event of a frog or other device obstructing passage along the outer edgerof the rail being passed, the outermost guide member will be in a position to avoid contact therewith., rlhe oppo site sides of the device are symmetrical, making it possible to use the saine upon either rail of the trackllVhile have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into eiect, this capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the Scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A railway skate comprising an elongated body adaptedv to rest upon a rail, the upper side of said body gradually rising from the upper surface of the rail for engagement by the wheel of a car on said rail; vertically movable guide members on Said body adapted for engagement with the opposite sides of the rail; and means for elevating one of said guide members upon engagement of a car wheel with the upper side ofsaid` body, substantially as described.

2. A railway skate comprising an elongated body adapted to rest upon a rail, the upper side of said body gradually rising from the upper surface of the rail for engagement by the wheel of a car on said rail; vertically movable guide members on said body adapted for engagement with the op posite sides of the rail; and means operable by a car wheel for effecting elevation of one of said guide members upon engagement of the car wheel with the upper side of. said body, substantially as described.

V3. A railway skate comprising an elongated body adapted to rest upon a rail, the upper side of said kbody gradually rising` from the 'upper surface of the rail for engagement by the wheel of a car on said rail; vertically movable guide members on said body adapted for engagement with the opposite sides of the rail; and means for elevating the guide member of the skate ens gaging with the outer side of the rail upon engagement of a car wheel with the upper side of said body, substantially as described.

al.. A railway skate comprising an elongated body adapted to rest upon a rail, the

upper side of said body gradually rising from the upper surface of the rail for engagement by the wheel of a car onsaid rail; vertically movable guide flanges carried by said body and adaptedto project below the same for engagement with opposite Vsides of the roller; and means for elevatingV one of said flanges upon passing of a car Wheel into engagement with said body, substan. tially as described.

5. A railway skate comprising an elongated body adapted to rest upon a rail, the upper side of saidrbody gradually rising from the upper surface of the rail for engagement by the wheel of a car on said rail; verticallymovable guide members on said body adapted for engagement with the opposite sides of the rail; and means for elevating one of said guide members upon` engagement of a car wheel withthe upper side of said body, said means comprising a rockingly mounted member arranged in saidbody and engaging with said guide members whereby, when one of said guide members is depressed, the other will be elevated, `substantially as described.

6. A railway skate comprising an elongated body adapted'to rest'upon a rail, the upper' side of said body gradually rising from the upper surface of the rail for engagement by the wheel of a ear on said rail,

vertically movable guide members on said body adapted for engagement with the op posite sides of the rail; an operative connection between said guide members whereby, when one is depressed, the other will be elevated from engagement with the rail; and a contact surface on each '-ofisaid guide members adapted for engagement'by the ros Lfao

flange of a car wheel resting on said body to effect depression of the guide member Whose contact surface is engaged, substantially as described.

7. A railway skate comprising an elongated body adapted to rest upon a rail, the upper side of said body gradually rising from the upper surface of the rail for engagement by the wheel of a car on said rail; vertically movable guide members on said body adapted for engagement with the op-V posite sides of the rail; an operative connection between said guide members whereby, when one is depressed, the other will be elevated from engagement with the rail; and a laterally projecting flange on each of said guide members adapted for engagement by the flange of a car wheel resting on said body to effect depression of the guide member whose flange is engaged, substantially as described.

8. A railway slrate comprising an elongated body adapted to rest upon a rail, the upper side of said body gradually rising from the upper surface of the rail for engagement by the wheel of a car on said rail; vertically movable guide members on said body adapted for engagement with the opposite sides of the rail; a member rockingly mounted intermediate its ends in said body and having its ends engaging with said guide members whereby, when one f said guide members is depressed, the other will be elevated to a position above the upper surface of the rail; and a contact surface on each of said guide members adapted for engagement by the 'lange of a car wheel resting on said body to eflect depression of the guide member whose contact surface is engaged, substantially as described.

9. A railway skate comprising an elongated body adapted to rest upon a rail, the upper side of said body gradually rising from one end for engagement by a car wheel traveling on tie rail; and means at the opposite end of said body adapted for engagement by a car wheel traveling toward the same to effect derailment of said body, substantially as described.

10. A. railway skate comprising an elongated body adapted to rest upon a rail, the upper side of said body gradually rising from one end for engagement by a car wheel traveling on the rail; and an angularly and laterally projecting' member at the opposite end of said body adapted for engagement by a car wheel traveling toward the same to effect derailment of said body, substantially as described.

ln testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN NAVARA.

Witnesses:

JosHUA R. H. Porre, ARTHUR A. OLSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente,

' Washington, D. C. 

